ASEAN journalists honoured for green technology coverage

SINGAPORE — Ten journalists from six ASEAN countries won prizes at Siemens' inaugural Green Technology Journalism Awards gala in Singapore yesterday.

The winners were recognised for their exemplary reporting on issues relating to energy efficiency, industrial productivity and sustainability.

The winner of the "energy efficiency" category, Thean Lee Cheng of The Star in Malaysia, discussed the challenges faced by companies that wished to go green but remain profitable in her article Going Green. The piece underscored the importance of adopting a long-term approach when it came to sustainability.

The merit winner in this category, Myrna M Velasco of The Manila Bulletin, on the other hand, criticised her country's Renewable Energy Act in her column, The country's grand renewable energy ambition: fact or fiction?.

The award-winning articles in the "industrial productivity" category explored policy and technology issues in two important alternative energy sectors – green cars and biofuels.

The winning entry published in The Jakarta Globe: Green wheels: Why are cleaner cars still elusive in Jakarta, by Dewi Kurniawati discussed Indonesians' reluctance to buy hybrid or compressed natural gas powered cars, while the second-placed article in Media Indonesia entitled Electricity from oil palm waste, by Aris Munandar, highlighted the challenges of generating renewable energy from plant waste in Indonesia.

Deforestation was the hot topic in the "sustainability" category. Jessica Cheam of The Straits Times in Singapore won the top prize for her article Give Our Trees a Chance, in which she sounded alarm bells over the rapid rate at which rainforests in Southeast Asia are being depleted.

Purple S Romero of Newsbreak in the Philippines received the merit award for her report on the dangers of wood consumption for tobacco curing in Harming Ilocos forests?.

The judges from various industrial sectors, also gave special mention to two other submissions. Nguyen Thanh Tung from the Viet Nam Investment Review was credited for his piece on his country's efforts to build a low-carbon economy in the face of rapid industrialisation (Economy's green-coloured vision). Sawitree Rangabpit from Engineering Today in Thailand was also singled out for special mention for her article, Hospitals getting through a crisis with energy-saving measures.

Judges looked at more than 190 entries published last year in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.

"We were very impressed with the quality of journalism displayed by the media in this region. The enthusiasm shown by journalists and editors towards our awards proves that sustainability is no longer just a buzz word in this part of the world – it has grown to become a real and pressing issue in both growing and developed economies," said Lothar Herrmann, CEO of Siemens Pte, Singapore, and CEO of Siemens ASEAN. — VNS

Related Articles

• Woman with rare blood clot condition survives operation
• Culture Vulture
• HCMC begins to think about giving up meat
• Woman with rare blood clot condition survives operation
• Timber suppliers learn about legal issues

Russian war movie filmed in Hoi An town

QUANG NAM — Viet Nam's Chanh Phuong Film Studio and Russia's IKA Film Studio are collaborating on the production of the film Nguoi Linh (The Soldiers), being directed by Stanislav Ivanov.

The film, currently shooting on location around the city of Hoi An city and the vestige site of My Son in the central province of Quang Nam, tells the story of a group of Russian military specialists who come to Viet Nam during the American War.

Pops singers to judge Singapore talent contest

HA NOI — Viet Nam Idol Uyen Linh and singer Nam Cuong will serve on the jury of Music Revolution 2011, a talent contest to be held in Singapore on Friday for Vietnamese students working and studying abroad.

Linh and Cuong will also perform such hits at the event as Cam On Tinh Yeu (Thank You, Love), Chi La Giac Mo (Just a Dream) and Bay Giua Ngan Ha (Fly in Galaxy). The contest is held annually by the Students' Association of the Singapore Management Academy.

Exhibition of S Korean illustrations on show

Ha Noi — The South Korea Cultural Centre has opened an illustrative painting exhibition in Ha Noi.

Over 70 paintings are on display, giving the public a full insight into the development of computer art graphics of South Korea as well as uniquely artistic traits of modern illustrative paintings.

Three Vietnamese painters Cong Quoc Ha, Nguyen The Duy and Nguyen Van Cuong also brought their works of net printing, wooden and gypsum carving, depicting beauty of Vietnamese countryside, nature and heritage.

The exhibition will wrap up tomorrow. — VNS

Related Articles

• Mothers share sorrow of war
• Local tour operators honored in Thailand
• Chau Doc’s curried fish vermicelli: Bun nuoc ken
• Food promotions at Grand and First hotels
• Songwriter's love letters to be published

Vietnamese teen takes prize in Singapore piano contest

Key player: Pianist Hoang Pham Tra Mi won the under-15 category at the Singapore International Chopin Piano tournament which ended on Sunday. — File Photo

HA NOI — Viet Nam's Hoang Pham Tra Mi won the first prize for the under-15-year-old category at the Singapore International Chopin Piano tournament, which ended on Sunday.

The competition, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth, was organised for the first time by the Chopin Society (Singapore) and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

The competition attracted 140 candidates from 15 countries and territories, including China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Viet Nam and host Singapore.

Mi, a 13-year-old student at the Viet Nam National Academy for Music, beat 30 other competitors to win the prize for her performance of Ballades No 1 and Etudes No 5.

Previously she won prizes in South Korea and Russia.

"Mi has shown great aptitude for the piano since her childhood," said Ta Quang Dong, a lecturer at the National Academy of Music, who accompanied the Vietnamese competitors.

"After two years teaching her, I think she has made great strides."

The Vietnamese team of eight pianists aged between 10 and 16 entered four out of five categories.

"Mi's victory is a big honour for the Vietnamese team because the international piano competition was judged by leading performers," Dong said.

"Taking part in international events is great experience. The students can learn from competitors from around the world." — VNS

Related Articles

• Millenium English contest enters finals
• Hanoi model wins Miss Vietnam 2010
• Beach games open in Oman

Vietnamese, I Love

The author of this article, a Vietnamese businessman working in Singapore, tells his own story on how his mother tongue has helped him in business and how much he loves it

In my school years, I had to learn French as a foreign language, which forced me to grapple with the riddles of French grammar—regular and irregular verbs, genders of nouns, agreement of adjectives, sequence of tenses and nasal pronunciation, to name just a few. I once dreamt that I was born a Frenchman so that I could relieve myself of such a burden. After graduation from university, I had to learn English. Then I wanted to become a native Briton because I thought he would need to study no other language when the whole world speaks English!

I don’t know whether you would laugh at that ridiculous thought of mine. In fact, it was my foreign language skills, starting with French, which earned me an opportunity to work at one of Vietnam’s leading banks shortly after my university graduation in 1990. Thanks to my English, I fulfilled the task assigned to an overseas representative of a Vietnamese commercial bank. Using my English, I have learned other languages—for instance Chinese, Thai and Malay—been exposed to various cultures, and improved my knowledge through reading and communicating. It was also English that gave me a chance to finish my master’s degree at one of the most prestigious universities in the region and around the world.

Nowadays, on my way of being a consultant, foreign language command is one of my indispensable survival kits in Singapore where different cultures of multilingual and multiracial communities from over the world converge.
However, another potent “weapon” has helped me survive and fare well during more than a decade of living and working in a foreign country. Many Vietnamese citizens have yet to be fully aware of the miracles of that weapon—the Vietnamese language itself.

I still bear in mind my first business lunch in Singapore with a senior official from the United Overseas Bank. Following our conversation about economic and financial topics, the official posed questions on Vietnamese culture, spoken and written language, arts and cuisine. I felt helpless and ashamed at the time as I was unable to provide him satisfactorily with what he wanted to know. It then turned out to me that my country had many wonders and intrinsic values I should be fully aware of.

My father was a teacher, but fate has brought me a business career. I still remember my first days in business when in conversation or waiting for consulting or translation contracts to be inked, several of my clients said they intended to learn Vietnamese. Obsessed with the poverty suffered by a teacher’s family during the hard times after Vietnam’s reunification in 1975, I used to consider teaching a second job while nurturing bigger dreams. Yet, as a destiny, I have become an accidental instructor of Vietnamese in addition to consultancy and trade representation. I cannot afford to refuse the interest in the Vietnamese language and culture evinced by foreign learners in Singapore.

But my pride in being able to “export” the Vietnamese language and culture in Singapore has been much dented by many common bad practices of some Vietnamese here. The word “Vietnam” is sometimes associated with “red-light” districts, such as Geylang and Joo Chiat. Vietnamese women have been covered in scandalous news in both the mainstream Straits Times and the local sensational press. A considerable number of Vietnamese students have created “jobs” for Singapore police forces and have helped Singapore reporters “enrich” their features of court cases. In our chat, a friend told me that the image of “Vietnam Inc.” in this island state is tarnished as it has suffered numerous injuries. But I love it anyway. That’s it! We Vietnamese have a song named “Gin thì gin mà thng thì thng” (literally, “I love you although I’m disappointed in you”).

Not long ago, I watched a music show titled “Tôi yêu ting nc tôi” (I love my country’s tongue) organized at the National University of Singapore by Vietnamese students to raise funds for in-country disadvantaged children. Among the guests to the show was musician Pham Duy [whose song was used for the name of the show]. Tickets were sold out and the auditorium was full. Despite minor problems, the performance was successful given the Vietnamese spirit of “in preference to uprightness, not wealth.”

As the representative for a sponsor of the program, I shook hand with the students and congratulated them on the success, expressing my thanks to them for having brought to this island state the songs, dances, smiles and national long dresses distinctively Vietnamese.

Fate was kind to me that I was born a Vietnamese and my mother tongue is Vietnamese. Should I ever have a rebirth, I would prefer to be a Vietnamese to speak Vietnamese again. As part of my job, I have always tried to improve my foreign languages. However, the more I learn about them, the deeper I feel I know about my native tongue.

(*) Director of Vietnam Global Network, a Singapore-based consulting firm

Related Articles

• The tragic love story of Dam Trau Beach
• Mothers share sorrow of war
• Chau Doc’s curried fish vermicelli: Bun nuoc ken
• Painters show works inspired by nature, nostalgia
• Timeout with a good book